# CVE-2026-11837: Ansible-collection-ansible-posix: ansible.posix authorized_key: local privilege escalation via symlink-following chown

> Local attackers can escalate privileges by exploiting symlink handling in the Ansible authorized_key module to change ownership of arbitrary files.

- **Severity:** High 7.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 10 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 29 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-11837, GHSA-49qh-h4vj-mrgf, RHSA-2026:79112, RHSA-2026:80508, RHSA-2026:82339, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-11837

## What is CVE-2026-11837?

CVE-2026-11837 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, published on 10 Jun 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

A local privilege escalation vulnerability was found in the ansible.posix authorized_key module. The module's keyfile() function uses os.chown() instead of os.lchown() and opens files without O_NOFOLLOW when managing SSH authorized keys. An unprivileged local user can pre-stage symbolic links in their ~/.ssh directory to redirect file ownership changes to arbitrary system paths when an operator runs the authorized_key task as root, leading to local privilege escalation.

Weakness: CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-11837?


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `rhc-worker-playbook` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux_eus:10.0 | All versions | 0:0.2.3-6.el10_0.2 |
| `rhc-worker-playbook-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux_eus:10.0 | All versions | 0:0.2.3-6.el10_0.2 |
| `rhc-worker-playbook-debugsource` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux_eus:10.0 | All versions | 0:0.2.3-6.el10_0.2 |
| `rhc-worker-playbook` | Red Hat:rhel_aus:8.6::appstream | All versions | 0:0.1.8-2.el8_6.1 |
| `rhc-worker-playbook` | Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.8::appstream | All versions | 0:0.1.8-5.el8_8.1 |
| `rhc-worker-playbook` | Red Hat:rhel_eus_long_life:8.6::appstream | All versions | 0:0.1.8-2.el8_6.1 |
| `rhc-worker-playbook` | Red Hat:rhel_tus:8.8::appstream | All versions | 0:0.1.8-5.el8_8.1 |

## How do I fix CVE-2026-11837?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-11837 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-11837 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- CVE-2026-11837: local privilege escalation in the ansible.posix authorized_key module via symlink-following chown. Technical writeup; sibling of CVE-2024-9902. (github_poc): https://github.com/M8seven/cve-2026-11837-ansible-posix-authorized-key

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-11837 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-11837 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, published on 10 Jun 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-11837 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-11837/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-11837/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-11837
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-11837
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-11837

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-11837/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.